Fame

Jake was not content. Ever since he was a small boy he had wanted to be a world-renowned celebrity and enjoy the rich lifestyle that comes along with it.

“I have a caramel macchiato for Sheryl,” he said loudly over the buzz of the crowded, quaint coffee shop. 

Jake moved to Los Angeles from the small town of El Dorado, Arkansas as soon as he turned eighteen. He was a loner growing up because he didn’t like spending time with his “country” friends with their trucks and beer. Instead, he spent his days working and saving up money, while also watching Youtube videos of celebrities and daydreaming about their lives. 

Now, he sighed deeply as he began to make yet another chai tea latte for yet another customer. He got a job at this particular coffee shop because he had heard that some celebrities occasionally go there for coffee. He remembered one time a Jonas brother entered the coffee shop. Jake was thrilled and he almost spilled coffee all over the Jonas brother he was shaking so much. The paparazzi came spilling through the doors a minute later with their cameras flashing and voices shouting. Jake just imagined how incredible of a feeling that would be to get that much attention all day every day. He wished for nothing more than to be a celebrity people gossiped about all day. 

Jake’s dream came true after one eventful day. 

Three months into his job, during a lazy afternoon at the coffee shop, Jake was busy wiping down counters when he heard the door swing open and the bell ring. Jake looked up and his heart all but leaped out of his throat as he saw Brad Pitt walk up to the counter. 

“Good afternoon, could I have a medium hot coffee please?” he asked courteously. 

“Of course,” Jake responded trying his best to remain calm. Jake and Brad Pitt were the only people in the shop at the moment. He went and sat down at a booth with his coffee and started to scroll through his phone. Jake couldn’t help but just stare at Brad Pitt and daydream about what his life must be like. A few minutes later the door swung open again and a woman in a dark trenchcoat walked aggressively through the doors. Jake started to walk up to the counter and greet her but stopped in his tracks as the woman pulled a pistol out of her coat pocket. 

“Empty your cash register now!” she screamed at Jake waving her pistol in the air, her finger twitching on the trigger. Jake nervously backed up holding his hands helplessly in the air. 

“Calm down, I’ll get you the money,” he spoke softly trying to calm the woman. But she wasn’t looking at him she had turned her attention to Brad Pitt who had a nervous look on his face as he watched the ordeal.

“Well, well, well if it isn’t Bard Pratt,” she said in a loud voice. She pointed her gun at him and loudly demanded his money. Jake saw his moment for glory and as the woman had her back turned he grabbed a pitcher of scalding hot coffee and shouted “Hey lady!”. The woman turned around in surprise only to receive a face full of boiling, bitter coffee splash into her face and mouth. Her finger reflexively pulled the trigger of the gun and the bullet grazed Jake’s left arm ripping a hole in his shirt sleeve. Brad Pitt tackled her from behind and restrained her as Jake stood in shock, an empty pitcher in his hand and a bullet hole in his sleeve. “Call 9-1-1!” Brad Pitt yelled. Jake dialed 911, his fingers shaking as the realization that he had just saved one of his lifelong heroes started to sink in. 

“That was awesome man! What’s your name?” Brad Pitt asked Jake. 

“My name’s Jake,” he managed to stammer, “I’m a big fan.”

After the police came and apprehended the woman, Brad Pitt pulled Jake aside and took a selfie with him. He posted it on Twitter and said “Jake the Barista just saved my life.” A link to the surveillance video at the coffee shop that captured the whole heroic moment on a grainy camera was included in the tweet. Brad Pitt’s tweet went viral and pretty soon Jake the Barista and his heroics became the talk of America. Jake still couldn’t believe what had happened. The next day he got a call from Jimmy Kimmel’s tonight show asking if he could appear on the show. Soon after that, he started to appear on many late-night talk shows, morning shows, and interviews. All of them playing the surveillance video of his heroic act. Jake the Barista was famous! 

The next month of Jake’s life was heaven on earth. He blew up on all social media and became a household name. Shortly after the incident, he got a call from a casting director to shoot a commercial for the Super Bowl. After that, he started getting requests to be in advertisements, TikTok collabs, Youtube videos, and more. The whole nation knew about Jake and Jake loved that. The next year was a blur for Jake, he made millions through acting gigs and collaborations with celebrities. Hell, he was a celebrity. His presence was beginning to be known in the house party scene of LA. But Jake was getting tired of this high-octane, high-pressure lifestyle. He had moved to an apartment on Hollywood Boulevard and fans would line up on top of a parking garage across from his apartment shouting and waving. As soon as he stepped out of the doors he would be mobbed by fans wanting autographs or selfies. Jake was happy to do it but he also just wanted a little bit of peace and quiet. 

Three years later Jake had grown more and more in the LA scene making more and more money. But, he was progressively getting more and more annoyed at the lack of privacy in his life. One fine afternoon, he planned to meet a lovely girl at a restaurant for a date. Jake walked out of the door of his apartment complex and immediately knew it was going to be a bad day, camera lights already flashing on him. The paparazzi followed him to his uber and then jumped in cars behind him. Jake tried to enjoy his date but the crowd of people ogling through the restaurant windows made it distracting. They tried to find somewhere private, like a park but it was to no avail. 

Jake had had enough. He regretted ever becoming famous and wanted nothing more than to just retreat into obscurity. Jake donated 23.5 million dollars to different charitable organizations. He bought a modest sedan and started his long drive home back to El Dorado, Arkansas. He had found his dream, realized it wasn’t what he wanted, and set off back to obscurity. After living in the desert-like conditions of Los Angeles, Jake’s breath was taken away by the greenness of the trees in the rolling hills of Arkansas. Jake was content.